The Lyle and Scott brand of fashion

Think knitwear, golf and there is only one name you can come up with. Lyle and Scott, established in 1874 in the small Scottish township of Hawick, by William Lyle and Walter Scott quickly established themselves as a premier brand among the golfing fraternity. Their designs which are a unique blend of original as well as exhibiting influences of Pringle continue to be a trailblazer with their Golden Eagle insignia leading the way. Starting off modestly manufacturing only underwear and other hosiery material, they forayed into making pullovers, cardigans and other attire for golf in 1926 and carved out a niche for themselves. Other milestones followed as under:

· In 1938, they gave a new lease of life to the shaky underwear business by entering into an arrangement with Coopers of US to manufacture Y-Front underwear and enjoyed brisk business in the European markets.

· In 1954, they joined hands with the French designer Christian Dior which gave them access to the Canadian market.

· Finally in 1967, they launched their own range of brightly colored golfing attire motivated by Doug Sanders, and embellished with their insignia, the Golden Eagle. This logo was a fitting tribute to Scottish tradition and fitted perfectly with their niche product – golf attire.

· In 1985, they introduced the golf attire for ladies called La Femme which became hugely popular.

This trend continued with some of the famous golfing professionals like Malcom Gregson and Brian Huggett endorsing and donning their clothing through the sixties. Other professionals from this sport continued the tradition and proudly led the Golden Eagle to various triumphs.

In the year 2002, the company ventured into designer wear with a new identity and is now one of the foremost brands in this category.

This brand has gained popularity among the non sporting public also with product offerings in the polo shirts, T-shirt, jumpers, windbreaker and shorts segments.

When it comes to polo shirts, we always seem to refer to only Lacoste or Fred Perry collections. Recently, Lyle and Scott unveiled their range of checkered polo shirts with different combinations of red/white, black/white and blue/white patterns. Their collection of neon tip polos bearing neon colors on the sleeves were a big hit. At one point in time in the year 2007, these shirts outsold even the Lacoste brand of polo shirts.

The brand’s knitwear products are manufactured from the best and finest cashmere and wool and their recently refurbished machining process oriented towards full fashioning has ensured a smoother and snug fit. This has enabled the brand to move away from pure golf and sports categories and cater also to the trendier and fashion conscious.

Lyle and Scott are also credited with dressing up some of the top bands in recent months with the cardigan and responsible for the return of this garment. This outfit with its cuts and button holes has been referred to as a very soft jacket and is very functional with pockets.

Fashion World Today readers voted Mainlinemenswear number 1 for their online selection and prices of Lyle and Scott